US: Shooting at teen birthday party kills several in Alabama

At least four people were killed and multiple people were injured in a shooting at a birthday party in the small city of Dadeville in the southern US state of Alabama, officials said Sunday.

More than 28 people were injured, some critically, during the shooting late Saturday about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northeast of the state capital of Montgomery.

Officials provided no information about what led to the shooting or whether any suspect had been killed or arrested.

"We're going to continue to work in a very methodical way to go through this scene, to look at the facts, and ensure that justice is brought to bear for the families," Jeremy Burkett, a spokesman for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said.

Dadeville Police Chief Jonathan L. Floyd asked for patience at a press conference, saying "What we've dealt with is something that no community should have to endure." 

"It's going to be a long process, but I do earnestly solicit your prayers," he added.

Ben Hayes, a senior pastor of Dadeville’s First Baptist Church, said the shooting happened at a birthday party and most of the victims were teenagers. 

"Dadeville is a small town and this is going to affect everybody in this area," he said.

Shooter targets downtown dance studio during birthday party

Witnesses told CBS-affiliated television station WRBL that the shooting occurred at a dance studio during a birthday party.

Among the dead was a rising US-football star who planned to play college football and was celebrating at his sister's "Sweet 16" birthday celebration.

Philstavious "Phil" Dowdell, a Dadeville High School senior who had committed to Jacksonville State University, was shot dead at the party, his grandmother Annette Allen told local media. 

"What has our nation come to when children cannot attend a birthday party without fear?" President Joe Biden said in a statement on Sunday.

Biden again urged Congress to pass laws that would make firearms manufacturers more liable for gun violence, ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, and require safe storage of firearms and background checks for gun sales.

"Guns are the leading killer of children in America, and the numbers are rising — not declining," he added. "This is outrageous and unacceptable."

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said in a statement that: "This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians. Violent crime has NO place in our state, and we are staying closely updated by law enforcement as details emerge."

The shooting occurred within weeks of two high-profile deadly mass shootings in two other southern US states,  Tennessee and Kentucky.

There has been a staggering number of shootings in America this year alone. Data from the Gun Violence Archive show there has been more than 163 mass shootings in 2023. The group defines mass shootings as those in which four or more people are killed, excluding the shooter.

lo, rm/jcg (AFP, AP, Reuters)